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5 Best Individual NBA Matchups in December

The 5 Best Individual NBA Matchups in December is strict as there are so many great NBA games including the Christmas matchups. Here is our look at the 5 Best Individual NBA Matchups in December.

Kevin Durant versus Lebron JamesQuicken Loans Arena December 17th
The number one Best Individual NBA Matchups in December. Lebron James will be the host of this one, but when these two play each other, the venue doesn’t change much. A year ago, they were considered the best two players in the NBA, with James being 1A and Durant 1B. It is hard to find a flaw in the game of either one and every time they face each other; it comes to nuances and single moments that decide the winner. Durant has also improved his defensive play to the point he now guards James on most of the possessions. On the other side, James always takes the challenge of guarding the best player on the opposing team. Back from his foot injury, Durant is posting numbers that we are used to seeing: 28ppg on 53% shooting overall and 47% from behind the lane. James has always been a more all-around player with rebounds and assists on his resume. Cavaliers vs Thunder tickets start at $65.00.

Anthony Davis versus Marc Gasol,Smoothie King Center December 1st
The number two Best Individual NBA Matchups in December. The game will be played in New Orleans, in what will be a battle of old versus new. Marc Gasol is arguably the best all-around center in the league right now, with Davis being the younger, more athletic and explosive player that would love to have that crown. To make things more interesting, both Gasol and Davis are as great defensive players as they are offensive. Few people can guard Gasol, as he has a plethora of moves, and he can also pass and facilitate the offence. Davis is not on that level yet, but he is as explosive as they come. And he now shoots 3s, which will take Gasol out of his comfort zone in the paint and force him to guard Davis at the perimeter. Simply put, a joy to watch. Pelicans vs Grizzlies tickets start at $5.00.

Kristaps Porzingis versus Dirk NowitzkiMadison Square Garden December 7th
The number three Best Individual NBA Matchups in December. In the words of Dirk, “The kid is for real”. If there is one young player that resembles Dirk and his play that is Porzingis. The young Latvian player was heavily criticised for going so high to New York, but his play in the first month in the NBA has proven doubters wrong. He is big, quick, has a nice soft touch from outside, and can rebind and defend. Or in other words, everything Dirk can do, Porzingis can do as well, in addition to his great shot-blocking ability and defence. It is hard to see this turning into a shooting matchup between the two, as Carmelo might swoop in to take the spotlight, but if Kelly Olynyk could give Dirk his signature one leg stepback jumper, Porzingis can show the German he has soft touch as well. Mavericks vs Knicks tickets start at $74.00.

Carmelo Anthony versus Lebron JamesQuicken Loans Arena December 23rd
The number four Best Individual NBA Matchups in December. The rivalry between these two goes back to their high school years as they managed to pack the venues and get national TV coverage for their duels even then. They went 1 and 2 in the 2003 Draft, and while many expected the two to battle for championship head to head, that hasn’t happened yet. James got two rings with Miami, while Carmelo is still looking for his first. And if there is one scorer that James has troubles guarding, that has to be Melo. The only thing that could make this matchup even more interesting is if the home arena was Madison Square Garden. Sadly, it isn’t, but that doesn’t mean these two won’t put on a show. Cavaliers vs Knicks tickets start at $62.00.

Blake Griffin versus LaMarcus Aldridge,AT&T Center December 18th
The number 5 Best Individual NBA Matchups in December. We had to put someone’s name in this matchup, but you can say this is as best as they come. Spurs versus Clippers is an epic NBA matchup, as both teams are covered on every position with players that are as competitive as they come. Parker versus CP3, Danny Green versus Redick on the shooting, and then you have Duncan and Jordan in the paint. Speaking of Griffin versus Aldridge, these two were in the competition for best power forward in the league for quite some time, and they still are. Griffin is the more powerful player, while LaMarcus has that sweat touch from 18-feet that Blake is trying to add to his repertoire. Spurs vs Clippers tickets start at $60.00.

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After years of watching NBA games, staying up late (while being in Europe) during the playoffs to watch the greatest of the greatest fight against each other in conquest of the Larry O’Brien Trophy, the time had arrived. 7.30 p.m. Kings at Clippers. That was the game that was about to start on a fine Saturday afternoon in LA. That was about to become my first live experience in the courts of the NBA.

My friends and I arrived a little over an hour before the start of the game and I insisted in going straight into the legendary Staples Center, aiming to make the most out of my first, exciting visit and of course having the time to buy some official Clippers clothing from the team boutique.

We parked in a parking space close by the Staples Center and started walking the Staples Center. Here comes the first shock.
This building, in which some of the best players to ever pass from the NBA had played was standing in front of me. Beautiful with the nice purple colored windows and the red “Staples Center” sign above, it was becoming bigger and bigger and more marvelous as we approached.

We quickly passed the security control, grabbed a bunch of Clippers schedule mouse pad giveaways and headed straight inside the arena. The feeling was just unbelievable. Haven only seen some European basketball arenas, the difference was obviously chaotic from the first second. Some pictures and a few looks around the arena later, we headed towards the alleys, where we had hot dogs and cola (huge hot dogs, really). The Clippers boutique was right outside our gate so I stopped by to buy some Clippers T-Shirts and an amazing white Clips hat. I also grabbed a Paul Pierce jersey for my friend, who has been a fan of him all the way back from his Boston days. Prices in general were very reasonable for LA and US standards and I wouldn’t mind paying even more to get the official and amazing gear I purchased from the team boutique.
That’s because I didn’t know when and if I’d have the chance to visit the arena in the future.

We entered the arena about 30 minutes before the game and there was yet another shock. Our seats were one of the best and really comfortable by the way, a bit above court-side and slightly towards Clippers bench. It was Halloween so lots of fans were dressed up with cute costumes and the director made sure the central giant screens showed the best appearances (the team handed gifts to the top ones, too).

The two teams entered the court. And there came yet another shock. Some of the stars I’ve been watching playing the game for so many years were right in front of me, ready to start the game. DeAndre Jordan, Blake Griffin, Chris Paul, Paul Pierce and Lance Stephenson from LA, Rajon Rondo, DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay from Sacramento’s side. And of course, the man in the middle for the Clips, the maestro Doc Rivers. My eye couldn’t have missed the huge rafters on our left, which Rivers had ordered getting changed to Clippers ones (instead of the default-Lakers ones) when the Clips were playing at home.

The pre-game show is a show. An amazing one. It’s how you imagine it plus more. The atmosphere is just amazing, urging you to cheer and rejoice. And I can’t image how better it becomes during playoffs.

Tipoff time. DeAndre got the first tip and the Clippers were headed towards their first offense. It was just amazing seeing the action live, watch the moves in real-time, have the full vision of the court and feeling the reactions from the crowd (yes, not having TV-commentary helps, too). It’s just totally different when you see the live action, it’s as great as it gets !

The action in the court was really fun. Dunks (the drive of the game came from Lance Stephenson), alley-oops from DJ and Blake Griffin, some amazing shots and in-traffic shots from both sides. Gay and Rondo really got it going, from Sacramento’s side. The experience was just as perfect as I imagined it. The more you love the game, the more you understand it and what it takes for those 10 players on the court to stand where they stand, the more lurid it becomes. And for me it was. Having Steve Ballmer a few feet away from us added something extra to the entire experience, too. What more can you ask for?

Half-time arrived before I knew it and we headed out of the arena for a catch up with friends. And as you may see sometimes on TV, we, too, were late returning for the third quarter. The security guard at the gate didn’t allow us to grab our seats until a whistle, which I found very clever as the distractions for other fans get minimized that way.

During some timeouts, the amazing cheerleaders, who had previously given a fantastic show, were throwing Clippers T-Shirts and guess what, I managed to grab one after it bounced-off some other people in front of me. Had to fight for it. I was so happy! And then, in the next timeout the Clippers Gatling Gun made its appearance. Of course, instead of bullets it was firing Clips T-Shirts again. Amazing, simply amazing.

During another timeout, instead of cheerleaders some kids-dancers gave a show and I couldn’t tell if they were real pros or just little kids from school. They were so good. As mentioned above, it’s not just a game. It’s both a show, one of the best you can see and a game, the best you can see.

Come late fourth quarter, the game was very close and the Kings tried to hack-a-Jordan only to receive a T. That shifted the game and a few JJ Redick made free throws later, the Clips received a victory. Happy end for my first NBA game experience.

After the final whistle, my friends started heading towards the exit, although I didn’t want to leave the arena that quickly. I was so amazed that despite the about 15,000 fans present, there were zero queue lines, no overcrowding and it even took us a few meetings to get out of the building. As a matter of fact, one positive experience came after the other before, during and after the game.

We ended our evening with drinks and fun in a local bar in the LA Live area, just behind the Staples Center. And guess what, it was, again, stunning !

Special Thank You to all the guys at Barry’s Tickets for making my dream come true and helping me see my first Los Angeles Clippers game ever! I am looking forward to going to a Clippers December Game and will 100% get my Clippers Tickets from you guys!

Barry’s Ticket Office is located caddy-corner from the Staples Center inside the Luxe Hotel.

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Historic Facts about Blake Griffin

Blake Griffin Career Highlights

In the past 20 seasons, there have been only four other players with 3 or more triple-doubles in a single postseason. Rajon Rondo did it twice, once in the 2009 playoffs and once in the 2012 playoffs. Rondo had three triple-doubles in the 2009 playoffs, and 4 in the 2012 playoffs. Lebron James had three triple-doubles in the 2013 playoffs, Westbrook also had 3 in the 2014 playoffs and Jason Kid is the record holder with 4 in the 2002 playoffs. Blake Griffin’s triple-double versus the Houston Rockets Schedule in Game 1 of the conference semifinals puts him at 3 for the playoffs, and he will have at least three more chances to catch Jason Kidd. Considering how Blake plays during this postseason, it is more than possible.

Another historical fact of latest Blake Griffin’s triple-double: he is the first player with back to back triple-double since Jason Kidd did it in the 2002 playoffs. He is also the third nonguard player to score triple-double in a back to back games. The other two are top 15 players of all time, Wilt Chamberlain (did so twice) and John Havlicek.

Monster Postseason

Blake Griffin Best Dunks of his Career

Blake Griffin’s triple-double was just the latest achievement in an otherwise monster postseason. Green is averaging career-best 24.4 points in the postseason, career best 13.3 rebounds and career-best 8.1 assists. All of his numbers are up, including steals (1.4) and blocks (1.3). In the same time, Griffin has managed to keep his fouls at bay at just 2.8 per game. The only statistic category he hasn’t improved in this postseason is field goal percentage which is down to 45%. But that can be attributed to the more jump shots he is taking. The good news is Griffin is making those jump shots, which further expands his game.

What does it mean for the Clippers and Blake Giffin?

Blake Griffi Top 10 Dunks

The triple-double by Blake Griffin is both good and bad news for the Clippers. From the three triple-doubles he has posted, the Clippers won two games, and lost one. He posted his first triple-double in Game 2 of the first-round series Clippers vs. Spurs, but the Clippers failed to capitalize. Blake Griffin posted 29 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists in that game. The next two times Blake Griffin posted a triple-double, the Clippers were victorious. In game 7 of the first round series, Griffin posted 24 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and dished ten assists en route to a victory. And then Griffin went nuts, and single-handedly beat the Rockets in Game 1 of the Conference Semifinals. The power forward recorded 26 points, 14 rebounds and 13 assists on 9-19 shooting. For the Clippers to have a chance of advancing past the second round, they will need Blake to be as aggressive as possible.

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The Clippers seem to have all of the pieces to win it all; the best point guard in the league, an unstoppable force, and an experienced proven leader. But can Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and Doc Rivers avoid another early round exit?

Chris Paul has been the best point guard in the league for quite some time now, but his lack of playoff success has hindered his greatness. For the first portion of his career, he carried what was a mediocre team at best in the New Orleans Hornets to a final three playoff appearances. They had some pieces in Tyson Chandler and David West but were never regarded as a legit team that could win it all. Expectations changed for Chris when he was traded to the Clippers and “Lob City” was formed.

The Clippers already had a rising star in Blake Griffin and an athletic beast at center in DeAndre Jordan, along with solid role and bench players. But, when Chris Paul arrived the Clippers felt he was the missing piece needed to make a legitimate title run. “Lob City” ended up winning 40 games in a lockout-shortened season and were the five seed heading into the playoffs matched up in the first round against the Memphis Grizzlies. They struggled in 7 games against the Griz and then got ousted by the San Antonio Spurs in 4. The argument could be made that the team didn’t necessarily gel because Paul would have ideally needed a full season with the team to truly get an assessment of how good they could be.

The 2012 campaign featured the Clippers finishing the season with 56 wins and the 4 seed overall in the West. A rematch against the Memphis Grizzlies didn’t go quite as well as it did the first time around as they ended up losing to Z-Bo and Marc in 6 games. This early playoff exit eventually got head coach Vinny Del Negro fired, and the acquisition of Doc Rivers took place. Now, the best point guard in the league and one of the most exciting players in the league finally had a coach capable of leading them to the Finals. So, now the coach excuse goes out the window.

Despite the greatness that Doc Rivers brought to the table, the Clippers would surely avoid another early round exit, right? Well, they didn’t. Another tough playoff ended with a semifinal loss, this time to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Some of the issues could be attributed to the Donald Sterling saga, but when is enough, enough? The excuses for Chris Paul have to come to an end. His numbers and moxie may establish him as the greatest point guard of our time, but he will never be remembered until he gets over the playoff hump. With new ownership, will this finally be the year Chris Paul proves doubters wrong?

Every year in the NBA we get to see some players who start off the season as underrated, non – factor players and end up being significant pieces of their respective teams. The Los Angeles Clippers are hoping that Spencer Hawes will emerge as one next season. Lob City brought in the versatile 28 – year old forward to upgrade their weak backup front line. Will Hawes be the X-Factor for the Los Angeles

Clippers next season? And can he make the difference during the playoffs?

The certain fact is that Spencer Hawes is not a typical player. He made his presence felt last season both when he was playing for the Philadelphia 76ers and after he got traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Despite his 7’1” height he is a very versatile player and a great shooter. In fact, Hawes averaged 44.8 percent shooting from beyond the three-point arc after he joined the Cavs. The 2013 – 2014 season was a breakaway for him.

Now, Hawes will be assigned with the task of providing some productivity when Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan are catching a breather. And chances are he responds to the call perfectly. After all, Hawes was very productive last season, and his performance is only getting better, as he is entering his prime.

Although he has little postseason experience, the versatile forward is now mature enough, and he can be a factor for Lob City during the playoffs next season. Doc Rivers’s team is looking to seriously contend for the NBA Championship. And it will need all its weapons lined up when the time comes. Spencer Hawes may end up being the most underrated player of the team next season.

The Los Angeles Clippers were that close to making to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in franchise history last season. They were powerful; they had lots of strengths but also a few holes in their team. One of their most significant weaknesses was the lack of a quality backup big men. Glen Davis was just not at his best last season, Ryan Hollis was never reliable, and the rest of the big men couldn’t vitally help the team.

The addition of Spencer Hawes came to address that exact need. In order for Lob City to seriously contend for the Larry O’Brien trophy next season, it will need to fix all those little holes it has in its roster. Now, with Hawes on the bench, Doc Rivers will have yet another reliable option to use. Hawes is a player who can make the difference on both ends of the floor, thanks to his size and his shooting abilities. .

The Los Angeles Clippers have done a few changes in their roster up to now but the core of the team remains the same as the 2013 – 2014 campaign. The Clips will enter the upcoming season as one of the strongest favorites for the title. So, which will be the starting lineup of the team? Let’s break down.

Point Guard

CP3

There’s no question about who the starting point guard of the Clips will be. Chris Paul will be the starter and as long as he stays healthy, he will be Lob City’s facilitator. Last season we saw the Clips using Darren Collison as their starting point guard during the time CP3 was down with an injury. However, after Paul’s return, Collison was switched back to the backup role.

Shooting guard
Another position in which Doc Rivers Los Angeles Clippers Coach had to use a backup player as a starter is the shooting guard spot. Jamal Crawford took over for the Clips due to J.J. Redick’s injury. Nonetheless, Redick returned back healthy and he will be LA’s starter at the spot next season. With that said, Crawford will play the role he knows best, he will be the sixth man of the team.

Small forward
The small forward position is the least deadly in the Clippers’ starting lineup. Lob City has been trying to upgrade this spot since the free agency commenced but up to now, it has found no success. Paul Pierce was rumored to show interest in the Clippers and a few other names were thrown on the table. As it now seems, Matt Barnes will be the starting small forward for the Clippers once again. Barnes is a very effective player although he doesn’t put up huge numbers. He is also a terrific perimeter defender.

Griffin

Power forward
Paul’s fellow superstar, Blake Griffin, will of course be a starter, too. Griffin recorded a terrific season in 2013 – 2014, taking advantage of CP3’s absence. This was the season Griffin saw an increase in almost any aspect of his game. Next season, he is projected to come back even stronger, better and more ready to lead his team to the top of the NBA. The truth is that Griffin has been criticized for his explosive character and his lack of focus when the game is on the line and especially in the playoffs. Nonetheless, in Year 1 of his cooperation with Doc Rivers, Griffin saw a significant improvement in that area, too. So, next season, he is expected to be even more mature and better poised.

Chris Deandre Blake

Center
DeAndre Jordan was counted in as the third superstar of the Clips by Doc Rivers last season. And he will be LA’s starting center in 2014 – 2015. Jordan emerged as one of the top defending big men in the league last season and he also saw major improvement in many aspects of his game. Thankfully, the Clips will now have a quality big man on their bench, Spencer Hawes, who will be able to back up Jordan and Griffin, too.

The Los Angeles Clippers have still not sorted out their ownership situation. Steve Ballmer is the person who will most probably be next owner of the team, hopefully, next season, but Donald Sterling is not giving up the fight just yet. Assuming that the ownership situation will be sorted out by the beginning of the 2014 – 2015 campaign, the Los Angeles Clippers will be one of the strongest teams entering the upcoming season. But are they the favourites for the championship? In other words, how far can they go?

The answer is unknown. And that’s not mainly due to the ownership instability. It’s not even about the assets Lob City possesses, its roster and the way it plays. It’s because we currently have no clue how the competition will shape up next season. We don’t know where megastars like LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony will play next season and as a result, we don’t know which teams will highlight the top spots when it comes to championship contention.

BLAKE & CHRIS

Nevertheless, what we do know, again assuming that the ownership situation gets resolved, is that the Los Angeles Clippers possess a superb roster and one of the best head coaches in the league. They do have two All-Stars, in Blake Griffin and Chris Paul, an emerging star center, in DeAndre Jordan, the Sixth Man of the Year 2014, Jamal Crawford and several other quality role players. And of course, this entire group is orchestrated by Doc Rivers, who seems to be a head coach capable of leading Lob City to the top of the NBA.

Lob City

At the moment, apart from the Oklahoma City and the San Antonio Spurs, who will be one year older, there is no team which seems to stand better chances to win the Larry O’Brien trophy. And even the OKC Thunder are not looking that lethal. In fact, unless the Thunder makes some changes in their style of play and become more of a team rather than a two – headed “beast”, which heavily relies on Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, they seem anything but invincible.

GRIFFIN

This summer offseason might be one that includes lots of star movement but it might also be a very silent one. But even if we see LeBron, Carmelo and other big-name players like Luol Deng and Pau Gasol changing teams, the Clippers will hold the advantage. This group has been together for three years now, and they have now managed to develop their game. Especially since the arrival of Doc Rivers last summer, Lob City further improved its game and reached a championship-contending level. The Clips fell short against OKC in the Western Semis but be certain that they will come back even stronger next season.

There is not much room for changes for the Clips this summer. The Clips have most of their core players under contract for the upcoming season, and we can only expect a few correcting moves unless a significant surprise occurs. But this roster, this group seems to have enough to make it to the top and the upcoming season will give a big opportunity for Lob City to celebrate its first title eventually.

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Despite of all the changes and additions the Los Angeles Clippers did to start this season, they didn’t go much further than one more round in the playoffs, comparing to their 2012-2013 course. Lob City fell to the Oklahoma City Thunder after six games in the Western Semis and those championship dreams will have to wait for at least another year. But can the Clips really stay at the top next season? Will they really be championship contenders?

First and foremost, the ownership issue will have to be resolved. It might be a long and tough process for the Clipper Nation but it’s also a necessary one. Only after Donald Sterling is removed from the owner’s position can the team truly focus on its ultimate goal for the upcoming season but also for the ones to come after that.

Assuming that the league and the people taking care of the issue eventually find a solution, the Los Angeles Clippers can start building their future. And of course, you might wonder, they do have a great team even now, right? So do they really need to plan on the future or just the upcoming season?
As head coach Doc Rivers stated after the elimination in Game 6, this is not the end. This is the beginning.

Clippers

The Los Angeles Clippers have one of the greatest and most powerful star cores in the NBA. Chris Paul and Blake Griffin are under contract at least for the next three seasons, J.J. Redick is in the books until the end of the 2016 – 2017 season, Jamal Crawford for one season less and DeAndre Jordan will be with the team at least for the next season. Doc Rivers was also signed in a long term contract and assuming that Donald Sterling will be removed prior to the start of the 2014 – 2015 season, he will have no reason to not use up his contract.

Of course, we might see the Clippers performing a few moves during the offseason to try and find those missing pieces, those players who can further increase their chances to seriously contend for the title next season. But the team’s core will be the same. When it comes to changes in the style of play, Chris Paul might want to eventually start utilizing and trusting Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan more. As Rivers stated through the season, Jordan has superstar potential and if the Paul manages to find a way to utilize him more, he could emerge as the third pillar in the superstar line of the Clips.

CLIPPERS

If the Los Angeles Clippers achieves what they did in Year 1 under Doc Rivers and after all they went through during the last month, it will be really interesting to see how far this team can go. The Clips improved in almost every aspect of their game this season both as a team and as individuals and they are projected to continue getting better.
The Los Angeles Clippers are here to stay.

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213 749 0057

The Western Conference has been the more powerful of the two in the NBA for several years now. This current season is no exception. Apart from the powerhouses, which were expected to dominate and they eventually did, we also saw several underdogs making their presence felt. The San Antonio Spurs, the Los Angeles Clippers and the Oklahoma City Thunder are considered as the three elite teams in the West, but the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors are also powerhouses, emerging ones. We could even say that the Los Angeles Clippers are an emerging powerhouse, given that it’s been just a couple of seasons since Lob City has made it to the top. Let’s examine each emerging power in the West.

The Warriors are definitely an emerging powerhouse. Although the Dubs experienced several ups and downs this season, they also showed their potential. The Warriors entered the 2013-2014 campaign as one of the strongest championship contenders in the Western Conference, and the truth is that it took them a while to showcase their abilities. Playing without their starting centre, Andrew Bogut, the Dubs did manage to drag their first-round series against the Los Angeles Clippers in seven games. They eventually fell to Lob City, but the future seems to be bright for Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, David Lee, Andre Iguodala and the rest of the crew. Every core member of the team is under contract for at least one more season.

Rip City made it to the second round of the playoffs this year and but it also managed to made its presence felt across the NBA world. The Blazers have now found their new face of the franchise, in Damian Lillard. The second-year point guard as already reached a superstar level and although he is just 23, he seems to be ready to make it to the list of the elite point guards in the NBA, together with Chris Paul, Tony Parker and Russell Westbrook. On top of that, LaMarcus Aldridge has managed to revamp his career, and although he had some cold streaks during the playoffs, he seems to be capable of being the second-star pillar, alongside Lillard. Nicolas Batum is the third member of Rip City’s Big Three and things in Portland now look better than ever in the recent history of the team. Look for the Blazers to continue emerging in the seasons to come.

Forget about the Lakers. The next big thing in LA is the team called “Los Angeles Clippers”, also known as Lob City. The Clips possess every single element a true powerhouse; an elite team needs to have. They’ve got two megastars, Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, an emerging star, in DeAndre Jordan, the best sixth man in the NBA, in Jamal Crawford and also one of the handfuls of guru coaches in the league, Doc Rivers. The Clippers have already emerged as a powerhouse in the West, but they are continuing their upward course. If they don’t win the NBA Championship this year, they will certainly have the chance to do so in the seasons to come.

One of the big storylines heading into game one of the Los Angeles Clippers and Oklahoma City Thunder second round series was the two point guards, Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook. Westbrook, even after dealing with a knee injury for the better part of a year, is one of the most athletically gifted point guards in the NBA. Paul, the consummate veteran, had a solid opening round series against the Golden State Warriors, but has had to deal with a strained hamstring during the postseason. While many wondered how Paul would fare against an athletic Oklahoma City team, many pointed out how Paul always seems to step up big when challenged.

Boy, were they right.

CP3

Behind one of the greatest performances of his career the Clippers traveled to Oklahoma City and blew out the Thunder in the opening game of their second round playoff series behind a virtuoso performance from Chris Paul. Paul scored 32 points in just 28 minutes of play, shooting 12 of 14 from the field and 8 of 9 from behind the three point line. He also notched ten assists while just turning the ball over two times. Paul made six three-pointers in the first half as the Clippers jumped out to a massive 17 point halftime lead on the way to a 122-105 victory.

Overall the Clippers shot 55% from the field with five total players in double figures. Blake Griffin scored 23 points to go along with 5 boards and 5 assists, while Jamal Crawford, Matt Barnes and JJ Redick also hit double figures. Los Angeles had 26 assists and just 8 turnovers. It was a perfect start to game one and a message to the Thunder and the rest of the NBA that the Clippers are ready for a long playoff push.

BLAKE

For Oklahoma City the story was again their lack of balance offensively. As this year’s postseason has evolved, the Thunder has become one-sided to a fault, relying solely on the combination of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. Other than a couple of big performances from Reggie Jackson in the Grizzlies series, the Thunder has become the ultimate example of a two man team. After three quarters on Monday night the Clippers led the Thunder by a score of 104-78. Of the 78 Thunder point the combination of Durant and Westbrook scored 54. This deficit included a 22-7 Clippers lead in bench scoring.

Victory in hand the Clippers have a massive opportunity to send the series back to STAPLES Center with a commanding 2-0 lead. They’ll face a desperate Thunder team hoping not to fall behind in the second round like they did in the first round. The Clippers will start game two with a tremendous amount of confidence due to the sheer size of the blowout. Game two is Wednesday night at 6:30 Pacific.

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213 749 0057